Belmont Sewer Rate Hikes on the Horizon

The will hold a public hearing next month (a Proposition 218 notification*) to inform residential and business property owners and seek input about proposed sewer rate adjustments in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. The city is responsible for the operation, maintenance and improvements of its sewer collection system.

The public hearing regarding the proposed sewer rate adjustments will be held Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 7:30 pm in the . The proposed rate adjustments will be presented to the City Council for adoption at this meeting.

If approved by the , the new sewer rates will take effect 30 days after the public hearing; rates will appear on the next property tax bill.

According to a notice sent to Belmont property owners this week, the city is concerned with keeping costs down, however, rising costs of meeting regulatory requirements, storm and sewer treatment, repair and replacement of an aging system are necessitating adjustments to the sewer service charges.

How much will rates go up?

Average Rate: The yearly rate for the average residential customer whose consumption rate is 6 HCF/month, (1 HCF (hundred cubic feet) = 748 gallons of water) will increase from $530.42 to $582.27 in Fiscal Year 2012/2013. However, every customer's usage is unique and each customer's bill will vary.

Standby Charge: For non-metered parcels (vacant lots) the rate will remain at $245.40 per parcel.

For steps on how to calculate your sewer bill, go to www.belmont.gov and click on "Hot Topics."

Those wishing to protest the rate adjustments may do so at the public hearing, or by submitting a written protest to the City of Belmont, City Clerk Office, One Twin Pines Ln., Belmont, CA 94002.

(*Proposition 218, passed by California voters in 1996,  seeks to curb some perceived abuses in the use of assessments and property-related fees, specifically the use of these revenue-raising tools to pay for general governmental services rather than property-related services.)

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